[size=55:jjm8w4pc]BNR 27 September 2010
Secret customer – nightmare for rude employees
A young, obviously nervous lady enters a luxury shoe shop downtown Sofia. Half an hour later she leaves with a purchase, but not only. She has a record of her conversation with the salesgirl in her bag and also a questionnaire. In it she will assess the quality of services in the shop. The young lady acted as a “secret customer” in that case. She had been hired by a company for fictitious shopping and her job was exactly to assess the quality of services in the shop. The “mystery shopping” practice is relatively new to Bulgaria. It is used by employers to check whether their employees follow the requirements for presenting their products or services, and also if their communication with the potential customer is effective or how they react in critical situations… There are not so many companies in this country yet that offer trained “secret customers”. However, their activities have already been regulated and they are all united in a Bulgarian Mystery Shopping Association. “Mystery shopping can be practiced in different institutions, shops, restaurants, hotels, banks etc.” Mr. Dinio Madzharov, chair of the Association explains:
“The Association was established in 2007 – he says. – 8 companies take part in it, some of them are experts in mystery shopping. The others are research agencies that also provide this kind of service. The Marketing Department at the Economic University in Sofia is also a member of the Association. The first mystery shopping projects were made back in 2005 in the field of telecommunications. Globally, this method has been used for over 60 years now, the first experiment dating back in 1957 in the USA. The system has been developed ever since and we are studying now from the experience of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association that is an international structure.”
The “secret customers” work differently – via personal visits, phone calls, e-mailing, letters etc. Traders themselves use different tricks to attract customers. Promotions are made, auctions, shops are decorated specially with nice music sounds… However, the total effect disappears if the customer is “welcomed” by an impolite and frowning employee. The opposite situation also counts. Sometimes a person buys something, literally “bribed” by the smile and personality of the salesman, Mr. Madzharov says.
“Chronologically the banks were the first ones that used the “secret customer” – he explains. – Then the telecommunication branch followed. All the three companies for mobile services have developed that evaluation system. The major malls and shops have been using the system for 2-3 years now. Employees react positively to the projects so far and really improve the quality of their services. However, the effect can be a short-term one.”
Are there people that are interested in becoming “secret customers”?
“It is hard to call mystery shopping “a job” since these projects are still limited in Bulgaria and can hardly guarantee stable incomes – Mr. Madzharov explains. – The money also depends on the continuity and the amount of the projects. As far as the selection of the “secret customers” is concerned, everyone can become one. The main quality needed however is observation. The next one is precision – there are many cases when a certain situation should be enacted, as negotiated with the employer. Secret customers should also be honest and dispassionate. Their artistic skills are important too. We select the secret customers via their CVs and then they pass a test so that we can assess whether they are suitable for a certain kind of projects.”
Mon Sep 27, 2010 4:53 pm
